The book is a practical manual for students of acupuncture and as a reference manual for professional acupuncturists. The manual reinforces channel theory, point location and body marking through drawing. It complements all formal and self-directed learning of channel theory and practice. Each chapter consists of the following: a summary of the internal and external branches of the channel; five successive body outlines for 12 main channels and two body outlines for the eight extraordinary channels. Students are prompted to draw and build a sequential model of each channel on an overlay to record the flows and points of each channel; four diagrams showing the anatomical relationships of the channel to muscles, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels: and a case study to reinforce the function of the channel and its points. By completing work sections on each channel students are given a framework for understanding the pathways of the channels, memorising points, identifying special points and learning their uses. Learning channel flows and point locations is time consuming and involves repetition. With these diagrams students will be able to practice in their own time, and reinforce and retain their channel knowledge.
